Monthly Archives: February 2018

Before you put up your home in the market and get it listed in real estate listings in Edmonton, you may want to consider first if it’s the right time to sell. The busiest buying and selling period is during the spring and summer months. It’s better to sell during a peak season and compete with more sellers.

Here are some of the more compelling reasons to sell your home during spring and summer:

Prices Are Higher

The difference in prices can be huge between the on and off-season for home buying. So if you want to get as much money as you can, you should hold off until the spring or summer months.

Negotiations Run More Smoothly

Bidding wars are more likely too during the spring and summer buying season. That just shows how many people are out trying to buy a new house before the school season starts. These buyers may also make fewer requests and demands for repairs. You also get potential buyers who may deal in cash so there’s no mortgage that can delay the process.

It’s trying to have lengthy negotiations and especially frustrating when the deal goes sideways. But with plenty of potential buyers then you can count a simpler process to get an agreement made. If you’re in a hurry to move out to your new place, it’s certainly convenient.

Valuations Are Higher

The appraiser who will value your home will generally use the data for comparable homes in your area. The problem with selling in the fall and winter seasons is that the data will only show the cheaper prices that are common during the real estate off-season. That can hurt your valuation.

But in the spring and summer, the data is more accurate because there are more sales going on and the prices are higher. You should put up your place for sale after a few houses in the area have already sold to give you an idea of how much you can ask for from potential buyers.

Your Home Looks Nicer in the Spring or Summer

The nicer your house seems, the more like it is to fetch a higher price and attract more buyers. You can also take the time to do your spring-cleaning first to make your house look great.

In the winter, the curb appeal isn’t there especially when the snow covers the grounds. Everything just seems bland, and so the house doesn’t seem to deserve a high price.

Sellers Can Pick the Buyers

With some sellers, it’s not all about the money. Some are sentimental enough that they don’t relish their longtime home demolished for a fancy new mansion or made over with massive renovations. They can instead favor a young family who will appreciate the house as is.

Conclusion: Sell in the Spring or Summer

It’s true that during the off season you’ll probably have more motivated buyers and they may not be as picky since there are fewer houses available for sale. But that’s not enough of an advantage, considering that you’re most likely dealing with buyers who want massive discounts. If you want to get the best price for your home, just sell in the spring and summer months. It just makes more sense!

If you’ve seen the listings for high-end residences in downtown Montreal, you’ll most likely find fabulous photos of these properties. Of course, the professional quality of the photos is evident since many sellers invest in professional photographers with pro-grade photographic equipment.

If you’re just a regular person who wants to sell your home, it’s still a good idea to consider hiring a pro to do this work. But if you insist on taking photos of your home, here’s a list of tips you can keep in mind:

Use a Decent Camera

Your smartphone camera just won’t do at all. However, premium cameras aren’t really necessary either. You just need 5-megapixel camera and you’re good to go. Better yet, see if you can borrow a digital SLR, as that can give you more settings plus more lenses options. A tripod is also a sensible idea as well, though you can just set the camera on a table.

Make Your Home Camera-Ready

The best camera in the world can’t do much if the house just doesn’t look good. So try to make it more presentable. Clean your home and remove from sight all the clutter around the house. Don’t forget to take off the magnets on the fridge. If all that cleaning makes your home seem a bit sterile, you can always use a vase of fresh flowers to brighten up your home in your photos.

Go with Natural Lighting

Take your photos of your home interiors during the day. At night or on gloomy days, the photos turn out dark and gloomy as well.

Turn on all the lights in your home, but also open all the windows. These should help give an open an airy impression. You should use using your camera’s built-in flash as little as possible, as the flash can cause unappealing shadows and reflect off your windows and mirrors.

For shots of your home exterior, an overcast day is the best time to take your photos. The sun then won’t cast dark shadows on your house.

You will need to take in as much of a room as possible with your photo. So it’s best if you take your shots from the doorway or a corner of the room. This POV gives the viewer a better idea of how your room looks like and it suggests more space. For exterior shots of the house, take it at an angle so to render your house in 3D. Straight on shots don’t show the depth of your house. You should also avoid shots that have wires and poles obscuring your house.

Take Numerous Photos

You don’t need film with a digital camera! So take plenty of pictures and experiment with different settings and angles. When you’re running out of memory, you can just review what you have and delete the bad photos.

Don’t Mislead Your Potential Buyers

While magazines tend to use special lenses and inmate editing to really change the look and figure of their models, you shouldn’t do that with your photos. Don’t make your home seem bigger by using a wide-angle lens. You’ll just disappoint your potential buyers, and they’ll just mistrust you when they negotiate to buy the house.

You Can Tweak Your Photos

You can improve your photos a bit without intentionally deceiving your potential buys in a bad way. You can brighten up the living room, or perhaps digitally remove distractions such as paint cans and telephone wires.

Just remember that your photos are still just a part of your listing. Make sure your listing is topnotch as well with memorable yet honest descriptions, and you should do well.

For those who plan to buy or sell a house or condo in Ottawa, it’s important to take note of real estate trends so you know what to expect. You don’t really need a deep market analysis if you’re just a regular homeowner or potential buyer. But you should be aware of the following trends.

Prices are going up. That’s certainly great for homeowners who are selling their homes right now, but it’s not really bad news for home buyers. That’s because there’s a very good chance that when it’s their time to sell their homes, the value of their homes will also increase.

The average price of a home in Ottawa was $396,266 in June of 2016. In June of 2017, that jumped to $434,502. That’s a 9% increase.

There are many properties available. This is another bit of good news for home buyers, since a low supply of available homes for sale will drive up the prices even higher. At least for the meantime the increase in supply is keeping up somewhat with the high demand. In June of 2016 there were 1,985 available properties. That jumped to 2,162 available homes for June of 2017.

That also gives homebuyers plenty of options to choose from so they can get the house that fits their needs. You can get the homes with excellent schools nearby or you can find a house or condo that’s near your workplace. You may even get a home near a large mall or beside a commercial area.

There are plenty of buyers. That’s the result of several factors. Plenty of people are buying homes simply for the investment opportunity. The city’s real estate market is attracting foreign investors as well as investors in Toronto and Vancouver. They all see a bright future for their investments here.

Others are moving into the city so they need homes. People are moving in because the local economy is very stable and there are plenty of job opportunities. People are also tempted to buy instead of rent because interest rates are very low. You can get a very good deal with your mortgage with low mortgage payments each month.

Houses are staying on the market for a very short time, and bidding wars are increasing. One home in Kanata (a large suburb in Ottawa), had a “for sale” sign saying that the unit is “coming soon” for buyers. Before the day ended, there were 7 offers and the house sold. The sign came out at 9AM on a Friday, and by 5PM the deal was done.

For homeowners willing to sell, such a level of interest can at least eliminate their worries about not being able to sell their homes. You can be very sure that if you’re putting up your home for sale, you will immediately get questions about its asking price.

There’s also a marked interest in the homes right outside the city limits. These properties include Almonte, Carleton Place, and Arnprior in the west. There’s Smith Falls and the Kemptvilles in the south. In the east, you have the Rocklands and the Casselmans.

These are homes that offer a more relaxed lifestyle than the houses and condos in the city. They still offer an easy drive into Ottawa, while the atmosphere in these places is quite relaxing and appealing for families. It’s also a market for those looking for second homes. Some of the people buying into these properties are also investors looking to make a profit in the near future.

If you’re budget for flooring is limited, you may think that hardwood flooring is out of the question as it’s often pricey. But haven’t you ever wondered why it’s always the most popular flooring options among all socio-economic classes? It’s been popular for as long as we can remember. In fact, there’s hardly any period in time that hardwood was ever considered unpopular.

You have to think of hardwood flooring as an investment. Here’s a list of the returns you get for the money you invest:

There’s a lot of variety among hardwood options. This means you can get the look you want and the wood with the features you care about. You can even find affordable options that can fit your budget. You can make a list of attributes you want for your hardwood, and there will be a type of hardwood that will provide everything you want.

It’s gorgeous. You can just compare it side by side with concrete to see the beauty of hardwood for your flooring. Who actually wants an ugly floor?

It can last for a very long time. You don’t count the lifespan of hardwood flooring in years—you count it in decades. Plenty of hardwood types are extremely durable, and you can find some that are resistant to insect damage and moisture. As an added bonus, the wood actually becomes even more appealing as more time passes.

Cleaning the hardwood is no trouble at all. You can just vacuum it regularly and mop it every once in a while. There’s not much dirt to remove, since the wood doesn’t really accumulate too much debris, dirt, and dust.

It’s a hygienic option. Again, that’s because it doesn’t lead to the buildup of dirt and dust. If you have a baby, you won’t feel too worried having the tot crawling all over the floor.

It’s great for those with allergies to dust. Again, the dust doesn’t really build up in the hardwood. So if you’re prone to sniffles due to the dust, hardwood must be considered over carpeting for your flooring.

It’s stain-resistant as well. That’s due to the protective layer of finish applied to the wood of your flooring.

Hardwood smells nice. They’re not like carpets that can trap unpleasant odors from spilled food and pets.

You can bring it back to life easily. If the hardwood does lose is looks after years of wear and tear, you don’t have to replace it. The scratches, scuffs, and dents can easily be remedied by sanding and refinishing the floor. It’s very rare to require actual replacement of the hardwood.

The cost of sanding and sealing is quite affordable. It’s much better for your budget than refitting carpets, for example.

Hardwood will never go out of style. When you’re decorating your home, it can be annoying to constantly upgrade your wallpaper and paint because of changing trends in interior design. But you will never have to worry about the trendiness of hardwood. It has always been a fashionable choice, and it will never become uncool.

You get better acoustics. You won’t have to worry about vibrations and hollow sounds. So it works very well when you have a conversation or playing music, as you won’t have to suffer from too much noise.

It’s simple enough to install. This is especially true for those with experience.

It’s great if you’re selling your home. When you have hardwood floors, it’s more attractive to buyers and you get more offers. You also tend to attract higher offers as well.